Author: <span>Don Engelhardt</span>

News

JV Team Remains Unbeaten

Massillon’s JV Squad ran its record to 4-0 with a 49-0 whitewashing of an overmanned Akron Firestone eleven last Saturday.  Once again, a running clock was utilized throughout the second half, only this one was stopped by the coaches with just under six minutes remaining because, well, what’s the point.  This Saturday the JVs travel to Austintown Fitch for an 11:00 am matchup.

Touchdown scoring:

  • Heath Manson 20 yd. pass from Zach Catrone
  • Daymiere Adams 20 yd. pass from Catrone
  • Xavier McElroy 9 yd. run
  • Darien Williams 40 yd. interception return
  • Catrone 1 yd. run
  • TJ Williams 14 yd. pass from Catrone
  • Jarron Hodges fumble recovery

Magnus Haines was 7 of 7 on extra points.  In addition, Daymiere Adams intercepted a pass and Jerron Hodges added a fumble recovery.

Report from Coach Dave Weber

History

Let’s Put Chris Spielman In the Pro Football Hall…

From the Pro Football Hall of Fame website:

The Modern-Era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019 is comprised of 102 players and coaches. Among the group announced are four first-year eligible players including tight end Tony Gonzalez, linebacker London Fletcher, cornerback Champ Bailey and safety Ed Reed.

The roster of nominees consists of 47 offensive players, 39 defensive players, five special teams players and 11 coaches. The Modern-Era nominees will be reduced to 25 semifinalists in November and, from there, to 15 finalists in January.

MODERN-ERA NOMINEES FOR THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2019

*Finalist in 2018; Underline indicates first year of eligibility (Players and coaches must have last played or coached at least five full seasons to be eligible for nomination. Therefore, any individual who last played or coached in 2013 are eligible for the first time in 2019).

QUARTERBACKS

(5) – Randall Cunningham, Dave Krieg, Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb, Steve McNair

RUNNING BACKS

(14) — Shaun Alexander, Tiki Barber, Earnest Byner, Larry Centers, Corey Dillon, Eddie George, *Edgerrin James, Darryl Johnston, Eric Metcalf (WR/KR/PR), Clinton Portis, Fred Taylor, Herschel Walker (also KR), Chris Warren, Ricky Watters

WIDE RECEIVERS

(9) — *Isaac Bruce, Gary Clark, Henry Ellard (also PR), Torry Holt, Chad Johnson, Derrick Mason, Sterling Sharpe, Rod Smith, Hines Ward

TIGHT ENDS

(4) — Mark Bavaro, Tony Gonzalez, Brent Jones, Jay Novacek

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

(15) — Willie Anderson (T), *Tony Boselli (T), Lomas Brown (T), Ray Donaldson (C), *Alan Faneca (G), Chris Hinton (G/T), Kent Hull (C), *Steve Hutchinson (G), Mike Kenn (T), Olin Kreutz (C), *Kevin Mawae (C/G), Tom Nalen (C), Chris Samuels (T), Richmond Webb (T), Steve Wisniewski (G)

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

(7) — La’Roi Glover (DT/NT), Russell Maryland (DT), Leslie O’Neal (DE), Simeon Rice (DE), Richard Seymour (DT), Neil Smith (DE), Bryant Young (DT)

LINEBACKERS

(14) — Carl Banks, Cornelius Bennett, Tedy Bruschi, London Fletcher, Seth Joyner, Wilber Marshall, Clay Matthews, Willie McGinest (also DE), Karl Mecklenburg, Sam Mills, Chris Spielman, Takeo Spikes, Darryl Talley, Zach Thomas

DEFENSIVE BACKS

(18) — Eric Allen (CB), Steve Atwater (S), Champ Bailey (CB), Ronde Barber (CB/S), Bill Bates (S), LeRoy Butler (S), Nick Collins (S), Thomas Everett (S), Rodney Harrison (S), *Ty Law (CB), Albert Lewis (CB), *John Lynch (S), Tim McDonald (S), Ed Reed (FS), Dennis Smith (S), Troy Vincent (CB), Adrian Wilson (S), Darren Woodson (S)

PUNTERS/KICKER

(3) — Jason Elam (K), Jeff Feagles (P), Sean Landeta (P)

SPECIAL TEAMS

(2) — Brian Mitchell (KR/PR also RB), Steve Tasker (ST also WR)

COACHES

(11) — Don Coryell, Bill Cowher, Tom Flores, Jim Hanifan, Mike Holmgren, Jimmy Johnson, Richie Petitbon, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, Clark Shaughnessy, Dick Vermeil

 

Eighteen finalists will be presented to the full 48-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee during its annual meeting on “Selection Saturday,” the day before Super Bowl LIII. The finalists will consist of 15 Modern-Era finalists, the recently named Senior Finalist, Johnny Robinson, and the Contributor Finalists, Pat Bowlen andGil Brandt.

The Selection Committee will meet on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019 in Atlanta, Ga. to elect the Class of 2019. While there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the selection process by-laws provide that between four and eight new members will be selected.

The Senior Finalist and Contributor Finalists are voted “yes” or “no” for election at the annual selection meeting and must receive at least 80 percent support from the Committee to be elected. The Modern-Era Finalists will be trimmed during the meeting from 15 to 10 and then from 10 to 5. The remaining five finalists will be voted on individually, “yes” or “no” and must receive the same 80 percent positive vote as the Senior and Contributors Finalists to earn election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Class of 2019 will be announced during the “NFL Honors” nationally broadcast award show that evening.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019 will be formally enshrined on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019 in Canton. The enshrinement is one of three marquee events, along with the Hall of Fame Game and the Concert for Legends, that are held in the spectacular Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium during Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls.

FAN VOTE

For the eighth consecutive year, fans can vote for their favorite Pro Football Hall of Fame nominees. Fans should visit www.nfl.com/hofvote to make their picks. The Class of 2019 fan vote is presented by Ford, the Official Automobile of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Massillon Tigers Letter Logo History

Booster Club Report – Week 4

Scores from last week:

  • Varsity defeated Montclair, New Jersey, 49-7.
  • Junior Varsity defeated Walsh Jesuit, 56-0.
  • Freshmen defeated Walsh Jesuit, 25-13.
  • 8th Grade lost to Akron East, 14-0.
  • 7th Grade game vs. Tuscarawas Central Catholic was canceled.

This week’s schedule:

  • Tuesday – 7th Grade vs. Wooster at Massillon Middle School, 5:00 pm
  • Wednesday – 8th Grade vs. Akron Buchtel at Massillon Middle School, 5:00 pm
  • Thursday – Freshmen vs. Akron Firestone at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, 6:00 pm
  • Friday – Varsity vs. Akron Firestone at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, 7:30 pm
  • Saturday – Junior Varsity vs. Akron Firestone at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, 1:00 pm

Dean Clark (defensive back and wide receiver) and Justin Gaddis (center) were the guest co-captains.

Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterback Coach Jarrett Troxler was the guest coach. “I didn’t expect it (Montclair victory) to go that way,” he said.  “They had some great players.”  A point of emphasis was that each week the coaches prepare the team offensively for what they believe the opponent’s defense will throw at them.  And each week there are surprises.  “We prepared for what they did on defense (previously),” said Troxler.  “But we get different fronts every week.”

Coach Troxler also addressed the play of junior quarterback Aidan Longwell.  “I thought he did a tremendous job with his maturity after the interception,” he stated.  “The 72-yard bomb after the sack.  That was a big moment for Aidan.”  In the Montclair game, Longwell completed 11 of 20 pass for 216 yards and five touchdowns.  The five TDs is second in the Massillon record book for touchdown passes thrown in a single game.  The record is currently held by Justin Zwick, who threw six TDs against Fremont Ross in 2001.  For the season, Aidan has completed 44 of 73 passes (60%) for 652 yards and 14 touchdowns.

“I thought Tre’von (Morgan) stepped up big time,” said the coach.  “This is what we expected (prior to the season).”  Morgan caught three passes, all going for touchdowns. For the season, Tre’von has 7 receptions for 108 yards and 5 touchdowns.  The 6′-6″, 215 lb. wide receiver has also put forth great effort in throwing downfield blocks to spring his teammates for large gains.

“I like where we are,” summed up Troxler.  “We’re right where we need to be.  But we need to get better.  We haven’t shown a lot on film.  But we continue to work on these in practice.”

Head Coach Nate Moore then reviewed the film from last Friday’s win and a few clips of this week’s opponent, Akron Firestone.  “I’m proud of our defensive performance, giving up just 43 yards.”

Turnovers also played a big role in the victory.  Twice the Tigers caused fumbles on kickoff returns.  Moore believes that Montclair was not prepared for the physical nature of the Massillon kickoff team.

Regarding his own team, he said that the Tigers continue to make some mistakes, but play really hard to minimize the impacts of the mistakes.

Massillon is 4-0 and is gearing to be 5-0 after this week’s game.  Firestone has struggled this year, which will make the task that much easier.  The Falcons are winless, with losses to Wadsworth (63-0), Copley (28-0), Revere (51-12) and Akron Buchtel (28-0).  But don’t expect the Tigers to take the game lightly.  All focus this week is only on Firestone.

Firestone offense:

  • Line averages 6’1″, 238
  • Best players are the two 6′-4″ wide receivers

Firestone defense:

  • LIne (4-front) averages 6’1″, 214
  • Best players are one linebacker and two linemen
  • Senior dominated

Four players go both ways.  Expect the Tigers to have both a size and physicality advantage.

News

JV Squad Continues to Roll

There can’t be a lot of difference in execution between the varsity and JV teams if both can continue to put up the big numbers they have so far this season.  On Saturday, the JV Tigers defeated Walsh Jesuit 56-0, with a running clock throughout the entire second half.  Now three games into the season, they have outscored their competition 123-13 in posting a 3-0 record.  And it wasn’t against chopped liver either, with games against Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, Warren Harding and Walsh.

Behind a relentless passing attack, Massillon picked up yardage in huge chunks and scored touchdown after touchdown throughout the onslaught.  The trigger man was sophomore Zach Catrone, who connected on more than half of his passes, with four going for scores.  The ground game was also very effective.

Meanwhile, the defense was simply stifling.  Walsh only threatened to score once when they moved the ball to the Tiger 5 yard line.  But the defense stiffened and stopped the Warriors on four consecutive plays.

Scoring was as follows:

  • Eric Thurman – 22 yd. run
  • TJ Williams – 40 yd. run
  • Xavier McElroy – 3 yd. run
  • Raekwan Venson – 5 yd. run
  • Jerron Hodges – 65 yd. pass reception
  • TJ Williams 40 yd. pass reception
  • Darien Williams 45 yd. pass reception
  • Daymiere Adams – 10 yd. pass reception

Report from Coach Dave Weber

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo News

Dan Seimetz – Wall of Champions

Dan Seimetz – Wall of Champions

Dan Seimetz

At halftime of this Friday’s football game, former Tiger football / baseball player Dan Seimetz will be inducted into the Massillon Wall of Champions.  Seimetz was a member of the football team from 1991-93, lettering two years.  Primarily a blocking back, he rushed 56 times for 296 yards, caught three passes for 38 yards and scored four touchdowns.

But it was in baseball where Seimetz really made his mark, lettering three times.  During his 1994 senior season, Dan batted .500 and helped lead the 21-10 Tigers to the state championship game, where they lost a heartbreaker to unbeaten 30-0 Toledo Start.  For his effort, he was named All-Diamond Conference.  He also received the Mike Hershberger Award In both his junior year (when he batted .580) and his senior year. And he excelled in the classroom, being named one of the valedictorians.

Seimetz’s next stop was Ohio State, where he started for four years and broke nearly every batting record at OSU.  His list of accomplishments is remarkable:

  • Career batting average of .370, second all time
  • Career hits leader with 287 (2nd has 271)
  • Career doubles leader with 71 (2nd has 56)
  • Career home run leader with 52 (2nd has 39)
  • Career RBI leader with 236 (2nd has 180)
  • Third in career runs scored with 193
  • Single season record for doubles with 25
  • Single season record for home runs with 19
  • Single season record for RBIs with 80
  • National Player of the Week Award winner
  • 3-time First Team All-Big Ten (one of only two in school history)
  • 1995 Big Ten Freshman of the Year
  • 2-time All-American
  • 3-time Academic All-Big Ten
  • Ohio State Baseball All-Century Team (voted by the Athletic Department)
  • Ohio State Varsity “O” Hall of Fame  Inductee, 2015
  • Elected baseball captain by his teammates in 1998.
  • Drafted by the New York Yankees

Congratulations to Dan Seimetz.

Also to be announced on Friday are five inductees to the Tiger Hall of Fame.  They are:

  • Homer Floyd (football player 1953-54; Stark County HS Football Hall of Fame; All-Ohio running back; WHS Distinguished Citizen)
  • Art Hastings (football player 1958-60; Stark County MVP; All-Ohio running back; Scholastic Magazine All-American; Stark County HS Football Hall of Fame)
  • Elwood Kammer (football player 1923-25; All-Stark County; All-Ohio center; Lorin Andrews Head Coach 1935-41; Massillon Head Coach 1942-44; State Champion 1943; teacher in Massillon for 40 years)
  • Joe Studer (football player 1972-74; All-Stark County; All-Ohio center; Massillon Assistant Coach 1991-94)
  • Paul & Carol David (Generous and continued service to Massillon through the Paul and Carol David Foundation)
Massillon Tigers Letter Logo News

Booster Club Report – Week 3

Another good week for the Tiger football program:

  • Varsity defeated Warren Harding, 51-21.
  • Junior Varsity defeated Warren Harding, 32-0.
  • Freshmen defeated Warren Harding, 18-12..
  • 8th Grade defeated Warren, 8-0.
  • 7th Grade lost to the Mogadore 8th Grade team, 30-6.

This week’s schedule:

  • Wednesday – 8th Grade vs. Akron Buchtel at Massillon Middle School, 5:00 pm
  • Thursday – 7th Grade vs. Tuscarawas Central Catholic at Massillon Middle School, 6:00 pm
  • Thursday – Freshmen vs. Walsh Jesuit at Walsh, 6:00 pm
  • Friday – Varsity vs. Montclair, NJ at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, 7:30 pm
  • Saturday – Junior Varsity vs. Walsh Jesuit at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, 10:00 am

Dean Clark was the guest co-captain.  He is the third leading tackler on the team and also has also has three pass receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown.  Clark recently gave a verbal commitment to Kent State University to continue his academic and sports career.

Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach John Mazur was the guest coach.  Mazur provided a scouting report on Montclair’s defense.  He said that the Mounties line up in a 4-man front, but expects them to pack the box.  Not much blitzing and the defensive backs play back.

Mazur stated that the Tiger offensive line has two primary goals each week.  The first was to keep the quarterback clean.  The second was to force the other team’s defensive line to give up.  This was very apparent not only by the middle of the third quarter of last Friday’s game, but also in the first two contests against Akron St. Vincent and Canton GlenOak.   “You can practice for how we play,” Mazur said, “but not our physicality.  I like our matchup.”  He said his lineman are smart kids and they have good feet.

Head Coach Nate Moore reviewed the film from last week’s victory over Warren Harding.  He also addressed Montclair’s offense.  They operate out of the spread with twin wide receivers.  Some tight end.  Some empty sets.  They are very athletic and very skilled.  Moore billed it as “Ohio vs. New Jersey,” noting that Montclair is the defending New Jersey state champs.  But he also emphasized that the Massillon players are focused on the task at hand.  “Our kids take a lot of pride in what they do,” he said.  “They’re pretty confident.”

Montclair offense:

  • Line averages 6’3″, 270
  • Best players are the running back (5’11”, 195) and two wide receivers (5’7″ and 6’2″)
  • Senior dominated
  • Should be a good test for the Massillon secondary

Montclair defense:

  • LIne averages 6’1″, 230
  • Best players are two lineman, two linebackers and two safeties; keep an eye on Gary Robinson, No. 53
  • Senior dominated

 

News

Tiger JV Team Defeats Warren Harding 32-0

Game Highlights: Touchdown runs by Zion Phifer, Xavier McElroy and Jean-Luc Beasley.  TJ Williams returned a kick for a touchdown.  Massillon recorded two safeties, one caused by Caiden Woullard and the other a snap over the punter’s head that went through the endzone.  Running clock in the 4th quarter.

JV record is 2-0

Coach: Dave Weber

Massillon Tigers Letter Logo News

Booster Club Report – Week 2

It was a good week of football for the Massillon program.

  • Varsity defeated GlenOak, 49-0.
  • GlenOak canceled the Junior Varsity game.
  • Freshmen defeated GlenOak, 21-0.
  • 8th Grade defeated GlenOak’s Oakwood Middle School, 44-14.
  • 7th Grade lost to the Fairless 8th Grade team, 28-0.

This week’s schedule:

  • Wednesday – 8th Grade vs. Warren Middle School at Massillon Middle School, 5:00 pm
  • Wednesday – 7th Grade vs. Mogadore at Mogadore Wildcat Stadium, 5:30 pm
  • Thursday – Freshmen vs. Warren Harding at Warren, 5:30 pm
  • Friday – Varsity vs. Warren Harding at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, 7:30 pm
  • Saturday – Junior Varsity vs. Warren Harding at Warren, 11:00 am

Bus tickets are available for the October 19 Louisville game for $20.00 each (game ticket not included).  The game starts at 7:30 pm.

Head Coach Nate Moore commented on last week’s 49-0 victory over Canton GlenOak.  “It was a fine ballgame played by our kids,” he said.  “When you score 49 points, something went right.  GlenOak couldn’t handle the physicality of our offensive line.  The defense continues to play really well.  They are disciplined and really focused and tackling well.  It was a good overall effort.  We need to keep working on the kicking game.”

Tiger co-captains Jamir Thomas, Keyshad Mack and Justin Gaddis addressed the GlenOak game and the upcoming contest with Warren Harding.

The guest assistant coach was Cale MIller.

Offensively, Warren is led by running Kayron Adams, a 5′-11″, 195 lb. senior, who has committed to play in college at Rutgers.  He is very quick and physical.  The quarterback is just a sophomore, but better than the two QBs used last year. The 5-man line is huge, averaging 6′-1″, 297 lbs.

Defensively, the coaches expect Warren to show something different than in the first two games, which seems to be norm now for teams facing the Tigers.  The defensive backs have been using press coverage with a single safety, but they may play off this week and use a pair of safeties to guard against the deep pass.  Also, look for an even front from the line, averaging 6′-0″, 234 lbs.  Their best player on this side of the ball is middle linebacker Kayron Adams.  Yes, the same guy.

Six players go both ways, with a mix of seniors and juniors.

The key to victory, of course, is stopping Kayron Adams.

 

Booster Club

Newborn Footballs

If you are a Tiger fan and have a newborn in your family and you did not receive a miniature football, the Booster Club would be glad to make sure your newborn gets an official Tiger Football.

Your newborn can receive a football from the Booster Club by contacting this year’s President, Ben Lieberman, at 330-564-6265.  Or you can email him at  benxrow2002@yahoo.com. He will see that you get a football from the Booster Club.

Proud of our Traditions! Go Tigers!

Mini-football given to newborn Massillonians
History

John McVay, Wall of Champions

John McVay always wanted to be a football coach.  You see, he was drawn to the profession when he saw first-hand the stability provided by some great leaders in the sport, specifically Massillon head coach Chuck Mather and Miami of Ohio coaches Woody Hayes and Ara Parseghian.  But eventually he would become much more than that.  Not only did McVay coach in the high school, college and professional arenas, he also served as general manager at the highest level, enjoying tremendous success in the process.  Here is his story.

John McVay was born on January 5, 1951, in Bellaire, Ohio, and moved shortly afterward to Massillon.  It was there in Tigertown that he received his first exposure to organized football.  His first two years of varsity play were under Coach Bud Houghton.  But his senior season saw a change in leadership when Chuck Mather arrived in town.  Mather’s tutelage provided the spark that would eventually launch McVay’s long career in football.

During McVay’s first season, which was his final year in high school, Mather fashioned a 9-1 record and a first place finish in the Associated Press state poll, ahead of Canton McKinley, which also finished 9-1.  John McVay was instrumental in this success and was named for his efforts as 2nd Team All-Ohio at the center position.  But McVay was also a good student at Massillon, as he was accepted into the National Honor Society.

College found him at Miami of Ohio, where he played his first two years under Woody Hayes.  Hayes finished 9-1 during his second year and then departed for Ohio State.  In came Ara Parseghian who, during McVay’s final two years there, recorded 15 wins in 19 starts.  Again McVay was right in the mix.  A 2-time MVP for Miami, McVay was also selected as All-Mid-American Conference center and served during his senior year as team captain.  With an education degree under his belt, he would later earn a Master’s Degree in School Administration at Kent State.

Now it was time for his dream job; i.e., coaching football.  After serving as an assistant at Lancaster High School for three years, McVay landed his first head coaching assignment at Franklin High School in 1956.  Although his team struggled during his only year there, he was able to return home the following year to assume the head reigns at Canton Central Catholic, a position he held for five years.  While there, McVay fashioned a fine record of 41-7, including a 9-1 mark in 1959, when his team finished 7th in the state.  When he departed, he was the winningest coach ever at Central.  Today, McVay is honored with a scholarship in his name.

McVay’s success at Central was notable and he was able to jump then to college.  His first stop was Michigan State University, where he served under legendary coach Duffy Daugherty.  Three years later, in 1965, he was hired as head coach at the University of Dayton.  During his eight years there, he recorded a record of 37-41-3, finishing 8-2 in 1962, which was one of the best marks in the Flyers’ history.

The World Football League, a short-lived venture started in 1974, called on McVay to coach Memphis.  He immediately signed three standout athletes from the Miami Dolphins that were nearing the ends of their playing careers in order to bolster attendance.  They included Paul Warfield, Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick (two are now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame).  At Memphis, McVay finished a respectable 24-7, good enough to be named head coach of the New York Giants the following year.  He coached there for three seasons, which were his final years as a coach.  Following a 20-year span of head coaching assignments, McVay had won 117 games against 85 losses and 6 ties.

But he wasn’t done with football just yet.  In 1979, McVay was hired by the San Francisco 49ers to become Vice President and General Manager, a position he held for 18 years.  Under his leadership, McVay stocked the team with some outstanding players, including Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Charles Haley and Fred Dean.  In all, he brought in some 50 players who were later selected as All-Pro.  But his crowning achievement was the five Super Bowl Championships captured by the 49ers during his tenure.  Coach Bill Walsh once said, “It’s quite possible that the 49ers would not have won five Super Bowls had it not been for John McVay.”

And the beat goes on.  His grandson, Sean McVay, is the current head coach of the Los Angeles Rams.

McVay has been inducted into the following halls of fame:

  • Massillon High School Wall of Champions, 1963 (charter member)
  • Massillon High School Distinguished Citizen, 1996
  • Massillon High School Tiger Football  Hall of Fame, 2016
  • Stark County, Ohio, High School Hall of Fame, 2005
  • Miami of Ohio University Football Red Hawks, 1977
  • San Francisco 49ers, 2013
  • San Francisco Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, 2018

John died on November 1, 2022, in Granite Bay, California.

Can the Pro Football Hall of Fame be far off for John McVay?

Mike Riordan provided the materials for this story.